The invention relates to a coupling device for an optical waveguide, having a light-coupling optical unit, having an optical waveguide receptacle aligned with the light-coupling optical unit, and having a centering device with at least two force-actuated centering elements which are arranged around the optical waveguide receptacle and by which an optical waveguide inserted in the optical waveguide receptacle is centered with respect to the optical axis of the light-coupling optical unit.
Such a coupling device is used, for example, at light sources for endoscope systems, in order to couple an optical waveguide to this light source.
Devices of this kind are known from the German patent application DE 10 2016 004 677.5, for example.
In the known coupling devices, at least two centering elements which are movable independently of each other are formed at the end of the optical waveguide receptacle in the insertion direction, which centering elements are acted upon by a spring force in order to center the inserted optical waveguide.
A problem with coupling devices of this kind is that, if the inserted optical waveguide is skewed, an individual centering element may be deflected alone, as a result of which the alignment is no longer provided.
When separate springs are used to act individually on the centering elements, there is the additional problem that the spring forces applied have to be adjusted and adapted to each other.